I got my hair colour done at Pastels Salon only this time I skipped the phone call and used the Vaniday app to book my appointment. The folks at Vaniday were nice enough to give me a 350 aed voucher which I really appreciate, the longer my hair gets, the more I have to spend on it *sulks*.

The app was pretty easy to sign up for, you can book an appointment by either searching for your salon ( if they’re listed as a vendor) or exploring their list of vendors around your location (although the latter didn’t always show results despite there being a bunch listed on the app).

They also have lots of special offers for users who book their appointments through the app. I think that apart from two-click process, the offers and regular discount codes they send across to users are a huge perk. I mean, we spend so much on grooming and looking beautiful, every little discount helps, right? You can either link your card to the app and pay online or pay cash at the salon.

I was really impressed with the staff behind the Vaniday helpline, I mistakenly booked the wrong service and the helpline staff sorted out the issue in minutes. I also had an issue with my usual hair stylist being unavailable (she no longer works there *sob*) but once again, their helpline staff called me to inform me and suggested another stylist. They were extremely helpful and polite, it’s almost like a personal butler service.

The Vaniday app is new, I think they still have some issues to sort out, but I think the app has lots of potential. They already have a nice selection of hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, and spas, and I hope to see this list grow.

A few weeks ago, I started my morning with a little hair TLC thanks to Jez Barnett, Managing Director of KeraStraight, and the team at Pastels Salon. My hair has been through a lot over the past year, it’s dry and coarse thanks to bleach damage, so I was really looking forward to indulging in a much needed hair treatment.

After a little chat about my hair history with Jez, he recommended KeraStraight’s Intense Boost Treatment, a protein and moisture mask that strengthens, hydrates and repairs hair. This treatment lasts for thirty days and contrary to what I thought, it doesn’t straighten your hair. You can choose to have your hair straight, wavy or curly at the end of the treatment.

The Intense Boost Treatment treatment was applied to my hair in small sections and left on for about 30 minutes. During this time, Jez demonstrated how easy it was to detangle my hair with the treatment on, he could comb his fingers through my hair without any tugging, I was impressed!After a hair wash and a quick blast with the hairdryer, I was left with hair that was soft to touch, it definitely felt a lot healthier and looked better. I still had frizz though and I think it was because they didn’t use a diffuser on my curls, just a regular hair dryer. I chose to have my hair curly instead of opting for the straightener because I wanted to see if there really was a difference after the treatment. While my hair felt amazing, I think I would need more than one session to help treat the level of damage my hair has been exposed to. I would also opt to air dry next time so I could style my curls my way.Since I’ve had the Intense Boost treatment, my hair been a little easier to manage and softer. It’s not as coarse as it used to be and the after care products they gave me have helped maintain the softness. While I wasn’t overly impressed with the Moisture Mask, the Moisture Mist and Glossing Texture Creme work really well together to soften and hydrate, especially on days when my hair feels very dry and frizzy. I also like the Protect spray, it’s quite lightweight and apart from protecting your hair from fading due to sun exposure, it’s also supposed to protect it from chlorine and salt water (I haven’t tested out these claims yet).